Long before beginning her collegiate goalie career, junior goalie Megan Morris grew up learning that lacrosse was everywhere. Conversations about games at family dinners, spending hours at siblings’ games and sticks of all different sizes strewn in the garage were just a part of everyday life for a family full of Division I lacrosse players.
Years later, she stands in the crease for Marist women’s lacrosse. Her upbringing still shapes the way she plays. Whether studying opponents’ shooting styles on Quizlet or communicating through hand signals to her father, Patrick, and sister Claire in the stands, lacrosse runs through Morris’ veins. Her years of preparation help make her an invaluable member of Marist’s 2026 starting lineup.
In her 2025 sophomore season, Morris started all 17 games, stared down 514 shots and stopped 152 of them, finishing with well over 200 career saves. After a breakout freshman season ending in MAAC All-Rookie Team honors, Morris has become one of the team’s most reliable players.
Before all the stats and scouting reports, Morris learned the game at home. Growing up on Long Island, lacrosse was just something you did. Her father and uncle played in college, as did her older brother and sister. All playing at high levels, Morris recalls family, friends and coaches telling her, “You’ve got big shoes to fill.”
Morris’ earliest and fondest memories were from watching her sister play goalie.
“I wasn’t playing in the game, but she won, and I saw the whole team run out to her,” said Morris. “I was sobbing, crying. It was such a little moment where I got to be my sister’s teammate.”
She inherited her love for lacrosse from her family; they also passed down her position to her. When her sister graduated from high school and went to play lacrosse at Ohio State, the team suddenly found itself without a goalie. Morris, originally an attacker, stepped into her sister’s shoes, despite her uncertainty about why she had to be the one to do it. At first, it meant learning how not to flinch when the ball came barreling toward her. Before long, though, she learned to love the position, especially the mental aspect.
“It’s 90 percent mental. When I was little, I was a lot more scared of the ball, but once you get hit with it 500,000 times, you’re like, ‘whatever,’” said Morris.
Though hard to understand why someone would willingly put themselves in Morris’ position, standing in front of the shots most players try to avoid, she did not just stick with it; she thrived.
By the time college recruitment started, Morris already fell in love with the position. When she first visited Marist, something clicked. The team culture, coaching staff and her fellow recruiting class all felt like home to her. Her teammates became her biggest cheerleaders.
“I look out on the field, and I see my best friends,” said Morris.
Though her teammates made the transition easier, collegiate women’s lacrosse moved faster than anything she experienced before. From two halves to four quarters, defenders invading the crease and positions unfolding rapidly, the transition was difficult. However, she was prepared. After adapting to a new position in high school, her adaptation to college lacrosse felt familiar. By the end of her freshman year, Morris earned a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
“It felt like my team had this faith in me, the MAAC had this faith in me. I needed to go out and step it up even more the next year,” said Morris.
That spark fueled Morris through her standout sophomore season and into her junior year. In the team’s opener, the Red Fox goalie turned in one of her strongest performances yet against Binghamton, making 11 saves across 60 minutes to secure a crucial win.
“I’d definitely say dependable,” sophomore defender Sofia Morino said of one word to describe Morris. “With Morris in the goal, the defense plays with the confidence that someone is always ready to back them up.”
Watching Morris play is like watching someone complete a multiple-choice quiz that they already know all of the answers to. She reads body language, studies shooters’ angles and knows where to block before the ball even leaves the opponent’s stick.
Before every game, she creates a Quizlet matching her opponents’ numbers with their shooting tendencies, memorizing where players prefer to aim. Simply, Morris enters the goal more than prepared.
On bus rides to games, teammate and junior attack Anne Shine quizzes Morris on shooters and their tendencies. For Morris, the bus rides might feel a bit like a pop quiz. The routine reflects the trust the team has in its goalie and the work Morris puts in.
“She always knows what’s going on, and I can trust her with the ball at any time,” Shine said. “I know she’s going to get the job done.”
For Morris, the most valuable game preparation came from the people who helped her grow to love lacrosse long before Marist and the Quizlets. Her sister and father are always in the stands, and if you watch Morris long enough during a game, you might notice something unusual: the three of them exchange hand signals across the field.
“We’ll literally have a sign language on the sideline,” said Morris. “I’ll ask if I should have stepped up there. At games, sometimes the camera will notice, and it’ll pan to me, my dad and my sister.”
Whether you call it cheat codes or hand signals, Morris researches, analyzes and looks for feedback, even in the middle of the game. What might look like a quick exchange on the field carries a deeper meaning, representing how Morris and her family stay connected through lacrosse.
Edited by Nate Shoemaker and Mike Duda
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore
Photo from Marist Athletics
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